daily news and photography about cacti and succulents and some carnivorous plants too

Cactus Science in the News

“The cactus is one of the edible vegetables in Mexico and is very nutritious,” (Dr. Norma) Alcantar says. She recalls her grandmother saying how the water was used to cook the cactus was then used to clean sediment from drinking water.

At USF, Alcantar began testing the filtration properties of the gooey substance inside the cactus called mucilage. Her research found the mucilage not only filters out sediments, it removes arsenic from the water.

The cactus mucilage is ideal because it’s natural, biodegradable, abundant and sustainable.